Happy New Year Baby
by merlucadevotion
Summary: It's New Year's Eve, the party is over, and there are still plenty of unresolved feelings between DJ and Steve. (One shot that can potentially be turned into a full length fic)
1. Chapter 1

It was after midnight on New Years and the Fuller family house was finally beginning to settle down.

The children had all gone to bed, which left DJ, Steve, Kimmy, and Stephanie alone downstairs cleaning up.

DJ turned towards Stephanie and Kimmy as she tied another trash bag. "Hey, you guys worked so hard getting everything ready today. Get some rest. I can finish up here"

"You sure?" asked Stephanie.

DJ nodded with a smile.

Kimmy yawned in a dramatic, very Kimmy-like way. "Thanks Deej. I am pretty beat now that you mention it"

Stephanie and Kimmy each headed to their respective rooms which now left DJ and Steve alone in the living room.

DJ now turned her attention to Steve who was crouched down on the floor seeming very focused on scrubbing away at a mysterious stain. "I know you must be tired too. You can head home if you like. There's nothing more to see here" she said with a light chuckle.

Steve stood up after cleaning the stain. "Nonsense. I want to help"

DJ felt her heart warming at how sincere Steve was even when it came to the little things like cleaning up after a New Year's Eve party.

She tried to shake away these thoughts, the reminder of reality painfully sinking in.

The man she was in love with had told her mere hours ago his plan to propose to his girlfriend CJ. He was supposed to do it that night, but CJ, an OB/GYN doctor at UCSF Medical Center, got paged into work at the hospital at the last minute. Delivering babies would always trump proposal plans.

"So, that was a pretty fun little get together, huh?" said DJ, interrupting her own spiraling thoughts.

"Yeah, it was. Though definitely not as crazy as the last New Year's Eve party we went to together" replied Steve.

DJ and Steve both chuckled in unison at the memory of all those years ago when DJ snuck out to a party with Steve hosted by one of his wrestling teammates.

There were plenty of wild antics and drinking involved which the couple didn't partake in, but simply witnessing it had been enough for them.

An hour later, the house had returned to it's usual cleanliness.

"You know..I have an unopened bottle of champagne here with our names on it. Think of it as a thank you for helping me clean up" said DJ with a grin on her face as she held up the bottle.

Steve thought for a moment. "Sure, why not!"

Before long, DJ and Steve had drank nearly the entire bottle of champagne between the two of them and were now on the couch laughing and reminiscing.

DJ had become so comfortable she hardly even noticed that her legs were now laying across Steve's lap. Steve's hand rested comfortably on one of her legs.

"So..it's a new year. Do you feel any different?" Steve asked after their laughter had died down.

DJ paused briefly to consider his question. Did she feel any different? Was there any truth to the idea that a new year meant some sort of reinvention of yourself?

"A little. Yeah." replied DJ. And it was true. Something inside of DJ was different, yet she couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what that something was. "What about you?"

"Same as you. Just a little." said Steve. He was absentmindedly rubbing DJ's legs as he spoke. DJ looked down noticing this and debated in her mind whether or not she should say something. His touch felt comforting and she couldn't deny that she was enjoying it.

"Could you use some more champagne? 'Cause I think I could sure use some more champagne" DJ blurted out as she suddenly sat up on the couch.

She grabbed the bottle from the the floor near the sofa, taking one look at the bottle and erupting into a fit of giggles.

DJ's giggling was infectious and Steve joined in as well. "What are we laughin' about?" asked Steve.

"The champagne bottle..it's empty" DJ responded in between her bursts of giggling like a young schoolgirl.

This caused Steve to laugh even harder, he could feel DJ shaking with laughter as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Soon, the laughter faded and when Steve looked down at DJ he saw a change in her eyes, a flash of vulnerability and perhaps uncertainty. He couldn't quite tell.

As DJ looked at Steve, she suddenly felt a sense of longing for everything she was about to lose.

She knew that even if they couldn't be together, once Steve married CJ their friendship could never be the same. Their friendship was the only thing that DJ had to hold onto, and now she was holding on by a thread.

She thought about Matt, who she loved. But was she in love with him? Truthfully, she didn't think so. She couldn't really picture herself marrying him. Which brought her back to Steve. How could he make such a serious decision in so little time? Was he really in love with CJ? And if so, was he ever truly in love with DJ?

DJ stared deeply into Steve's curious, calming green eyes. She glanced down at his lips, a light tint of red from the strawberry champagne. They were perfect, everything about this moment with Steve would be perfect if only…

Somewhere along the way, DJ lost her train of thought and found her lips pressed fiercely into Steve's. This shouldn't be happening. This is wrong. Everything about this is wrong. DJ thought.

Reluctantly, she pulled back and the two of them attempted to catch their breath and process what had just taken place.

Steve hovered over DJ, his breathing hasty and uneven. "Deej, I know this is wrong. We should s-stop but I-I don't want to stop…"

"Then don't stop.." replied DJ in a whisper.

He crashed his lips back into hers, this time with more passion and desire than anything DJ had ever felt before.

Their heated make out session continued until DJ pulled back once more.

This time, DJ eyes held a stronger gaze of certainty, lust even. "Let's go to my room" she said.

Steve raised his eyebrows in a way that said "are you sure" to which DJ nodded.

Without another moment of hesitation, Steve lifted up DJ and carried her bridal style upstairs to her room.

When they got to her room, Steve shut and locked the door behind them. He laid her down on the bed, his hands sliding up her dress as he kissed her tenderly.

"W-wait..I need to turn the lights off first." DJ said softly, gesturing towards her floor lamp that illuminated the bedroom.

Steve looked at her with a perplexed expression. "Why?"

DJ sighed, feeling embarrassed. "Because Steve..I'm not that young girl with the perfect young body that you might remember. I just...I feel a little self conscious." She admitted.

"DJ, sweetheart…" Steve began as he slowly reached behind DJ, unzipping her dress and carefully peeling it off and allowing it to drop to the floor, revealing a mismatched set of a cream colored bra and black panties, slightly tattered at the hems. "you'll always be perfect in my eyes."

Steve's lips met DJ's once again and she began unbuttoning his top as they kissed, he shrugged out of the top and DJ ran her hands across his bare chest.

He then began kissing down her neck and chest, his kisses were slow and sweet yet the fiery passion still very much alive. The man unhooked her bra and took his time giving each of her breasts all of his attention with every kiss and touch.

Steve then kissed further down until he reached her stomach which wasn't exactly toned and also bearing the stretch marks of a woman who had given birth three times and didn't quite have the time to get her body back the way she wanted it to be. He ran his fingers over the stretchmarks and proceeded to softly kiss them.

"Donna Jo, you..are so...beautiful" he uttered in between kisses.

DJ was completely overwhelmed, tears of joy and relief fell down her cheeks as she affectionately ran her fingers through Steve's hair.

"Steve.." DJ said in a whisper.

"Yes, my love?" answered Steve.

DJ let out a shaking breath. "I want you"

Steve kissed her forehead, pressing his body firmly against hers. "You have me. All of me"

And with that, the remaining pieces of their clothes were off and the pair spent the rest of that magical New Year's night making sweet passionate love for the very first time.

For now, there was nothing but pure love between them. The regrets...the regrets they would deal with when the morning arrived.


	2. Guilty Conscience

The next morning, DJ eyes fluttered open, awakening to a pair of strong arms wrapped snugly around her waist.

When she looked down and realized she was completely naked, that's when the panic set in.

DJ quickly jolted up, perhaps a little too quickly considering her head was still spinning from all the champagne from the previous night. She looked down to see a sleepy Steve with a look of confusion on his face.

That's when all the memories came flooding back. She remembered her and Steve kissing, she vividly remembered how it ended up turning into much more than that.

"No. No. No no no no no" DJ cried out as she jumped out of bed and hastily grabbed a pair of underwear, a T-shirt and sweats to throw on.

"DJ? What is it? What's wrong?" questioned Steve.

"What's wrong?! What's wrong?! _This_." DJ gestured wildly between the two. "We had sex, Steve. Everything about this is wrong."

"Are..are you saying you regret what we did? Because DJ, I don't regret a single second of it" said Steve, a sense of hurt laced in his tone.

DJ sighed, burying her face in her hands before her eyes met with Steve once again. "No, you don't understand. I don't regret what we did, I regret the way we went about it. Hurting people who we care about"

Steve thought for a moment, seemingly confused as to who she was referring to. Finally, it came to him. "Ah, shit, CJ!" He said as her fumbled around for his cell phone.

"Yeah, CJ. Your soon to be fiancée. Remember her?" DJ shot back sarcastically.

Steve looked down at his phone and sure enough he now had four missed calls from the woman.

DJ glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little past 6 am. "Oh good, it's still early so everyone should still be asleep. Steve, you need to go. Now"

The woman began collecting Steve's clothing from the floor and tossed it to him.

"Uhh DJ don't you think we should at least talk about this?" said Steve as he put on his clothes.

Suddenly, something resembling a migraine began to settle into DJ. She crossed her arms, looking down at the ground to avoid making eye contact with Steve. "No. Not right now at least. I just..I just need some time to think."

Steve nodded. "Okay. I guess that's fair." Now dressed, he walked over to DJ, placing his arms around her waist. When he leaned forward to kiss her, DJ turned away so his kiss went to her cheek.

"Come on, we have to get you out of here before everyone wakes up" said DJ as she grabbed him by the hand, quietly leading him downstairs towards the backdoor.

Steve stopped for a moment, almost forgetting that Rose, CJ's 8 year old daughter was still there as well. "Wait, I almost forgot about Rose. I need to go wake her"

"No. Don't worry about it. She can stay for breakfast and I'll have someone drop her off later" replied DJ.

DJ rushed Steve out the door, closing it behind him. She let out a sigh of relief thinking she was in the clear.

However, when she turned around there was Stephanie standing there holding Tommy on her hip. A single eyebrow raised in suspicion of her older sister.

"Was that Steve just now leaving?!" asked Stephanie.

"I...Uh.." said DJ, not able to come up with an excuse fast enough.

"You slept with him" Stephanie replied flatly as more of a statement than question.

DJ knew there was no point in lying, knowing that Stephanie would see right through it. "Yes. Steve and I slept together. Before you say anything, let me explain.."

Stephanie shook her head, raising a hand to cut her off. "So you're telling me..you seriously slept with him? Wow. And you're supposed to be the responsible one"

"Stephanie, it's way more complicated than you're making it seem. You know that" said DJ.

"There's nothing complicated about this at all. You're with Matt. Steve is with CJ. You two had your chance to be together." argued Stephanie.

"No offense, but I don't need to stand here listening to a lecture on morality from my little sister. Please hand me my son" DJ snapped.

Stephanie glared at her sister as she handed her the baby. Before she could say another word, DJ stormed out of the room.

Back in her room, DJ places Tommy in his playpen and began straightening up the room.

She went near the side of the bed where Steve had slept and she couldn't ignore the part of her that desperately wished he was still there.

The pillow where he rested his head still had his scent, and her heart did somersaults from the comfort it brought to her.

DJ retrieved her phone from the nightstand, her stomach churning with guilt at the sight of her lockscreen, a picture of her and Matt.

In that moment, DJ hated to admit it but Stephanie was right. She was the responsible one. The one who thought things through and always tried to do the right thing.

What she did was reckless and irresponsible, DJ was certain of that. There was something else that she was quite certain of as well.. she was deeply, irrevocably in love with Steve Hale and there was nothing she could do to ever change that.

Steve couldn't get the thought of DJ out of his mind for the whole drive home. Home. Was it even home anymore? He shared the house with CJ but he knew his time there would now be limited.

The man was quite frankly a mess of emotions. On the one hand, the events that transpired that night was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

He expressed his love for DJ in the most intimate way possible after all those years. Every single second had been glorious.

On the other hand, he cheated. He cheated on CJ, who he truly did care for. Steve never wanted to hurt her and now he had done just that. There was no doubt that he felt terrible and had no idea how he was going to tell her this.

Steve felt a little more at ease when he pulled into the driveway and saw that he had beat CJ home.

When he went inside the house, it was as if he was a stranger entering someone else's home. Nothing felt comforting or familiar.

Steve took a quick shower, got dressed, and took two advils to get rid of the nagging headache from that morning hangover.

He was standing at the counter when he heard the door open and CJ walking in.

CJ was still sporting her scrubs, her hair slightly disheveled and her eyes tired from another long night at the hospital.

"Hey, honey. Happy New Year" said CJ as she greeted Steve with a kiss.

Steve kissed her back and it was hard to believe that he was once, very recently, about to marry her, because in that moment he couldn't shake that awful feeling of guilt and uneasiness.

"Happy New Year" said Steve.

"Where's Rosie?" asked CJ.

"Oh, she fell asleep last night and she seemed pretty tired so I decided to just let her stay the night at DJ's. Hope that's okay.." replied Steve.

"Oh yeah, no, that's okay. I know she's in good hands over there" said CJ.

Steve's heart felt as if it had just sank to his stomach but he tried his best to not make this so obvious on the outside.

CJ yawned a little. "Well, I'm still tired myself so I'm gonna go take a nap. I'll be up in a few hours"

Steve nodded. "You should definitely get some rest. You deserve it"

CJ smiled appreciatively before heading upstairs to her room, leaving Steve alone with his thoughts once again.

He found himself in a panic, sweating and breathing rapidly. He immediately ran into the guest bathroom, shutting it behind him and resting his head against the door as he attempted to calm himself down.

There was no way he would be able to live like this much longer.

With trembling hands, he reached into his pocket for this phone and texted DJ.

Steve: "DJ, we have to talk about this and decide what to do. This guilt is going to eat me alive"

DJ had just finished serving breakfast to the kids when she saw his message. A part of her felt a little relieved that he was feeling the same way.

DJ: "I know. We will soon"

She texted back.

DJ: "I feel it too"

DJ: "The guilt I mean"

Steve read her texts and went to respond. He wanted to respond with "I love you" and wrestled in his mind with whether he should or not.

It was obvious that he and DJ both loved each other, but given the circumstances...

Ultimately, he decided not to. Instead, putting away his phone and, like DJ, preparing to face the very real consequences of their actions head on. No matter what happened.


End file.
